Mommy, there’s a ‘Holiday tree’ in my school!

Christmas is now just one of many celebrations.

As the holidays approach, so too does a sense of disquiet about celebrating Christmas in public schools. Some feel that their ability even to use the word “Christmas” has been muted and they have been rendered invisible due to “political correctness.” Gone are the Christmas concerts and Christmas carols of the past.

Instead, some feel that they can only say “Happy Holidays,” have “Winter Concerts” and put up “Holiday trees.” Increasingly, there is growing resentment over this perceived removal of Christmas from the dialogue in public schools: “We celebrate their holidays, why can’t we have Christmas anymore?”

Is the removal of Christmas from the dialogue of public schools a goal of those seeking to make public schooling more equitable and inclusive? The answer is a resounding no. Christmas is a celebration observed by a significant portion of our community; its spirit should be recognized and shared within the context of public schools. Christmas trees can be present and it is definitely not problematic to wish people who observe it a “Merry Christmas.”

While no one wants to remove Christmas from the overarching narrative, there is an attempt to shift it from being the dominant celebration of public schooling. With the ever-changing demographics of our country, Christmas, which was often seen as “the” Canadian celebration, has now become one of many celebrations.

Yet this reality has escaped many public schools. At Christmas time there are often trees, lights, decorations and songs brought in and shared with schools and students. Since staff usually are not reflective of the wider diversity of the communities they serve and the majority celebrate Christmas, they bring its spirit to school with them for weeks ahead. While there is no problem with this spirit, it is often the silence and lack of acknowledgement of the many other celebrations in a similar manner that is problematic.

Whenever there is recognition of other festivals/cultures/celebrations, it is usually by way of a presentation in a small setting or by asking its observers to wear their traditional “costumes” and bring in some of their “traditional food.” If recognized, these are rarely given the same level of recognition as Christmas. The move to “Winter Concerts” is in no way meant to devalue Christmas but instead situate it within the context of the wider reality — we now live in a diverse world that is accessible at the touch of a button on a keyboard. Interestingly, the sense of “invisibility” that some feel has happened to Christmas is what has routinely happened to many groups of people and cultures in our system.

As we strive to develop an inclusive society, we need to equally recognize and meaningfully celebrate Diwali, Hanukkah, Eid, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Kushali and the many other beautiful celebrations that are now truly Canadian. This means not reducing it to a “samosa and sari” (dress up and bring your food) day but giving these celebrations a similar space as Christmas. It is not about replacing Christmas but recognizing that we are a part of a cosmopolitan society with many diverse celebrations, and when it comes to a public school system, one celebration should not be seen as more important than another.

At our school we have a Christmas tree and our students helped to put it up, but based on our demographics we have a huge focus on our South and East Asian cultures; this year we will have a big focus on the Lunar New Year. We encourage and support our students taking Divali and Eid off to celebrate with their families. We are not nearly where we need to be, but we continue to learn and try to do more. Our work in schools is to help our children grow to become understanding, compassionate and respectful citizens and to prepare them for life in a changing world — something our board is committed to.

We need to work together to ensure that ours is a truly inclusive society. This includes being able to say “Merry Christmas” and acknowledge it as one of the many celebrations that we are privileged to share in Canada.

Jeewan Chanicka is a vice-principal at Parkland Public School in York RegionDistrict School Board.

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